TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, January 11. The transition to green economy in Uzbekistan implies bringing the capacity of photovoltaic power plants to 2.6 GW and wind power plants to 900 MW in 2024, Trend reports.
One of the largest projects is being implemented in Samarkand region. At the moment, the first phase of the project with a capacity of 20 MW has been launched.
A total of 37,128 solar panels have been installed along the entire perimeter on 40 hectares of land. The capacity of each solar panel is 540 watts. The electricity generated here is primarily used at facilities used for tourists. Excess power through the main grid reaches the Chupanata substation, from where it is distributed to the population. It is estimated that the power generated by the photovoltaic plant at Chupanata can provide uninterrupted electricity to 15,000 households.
The plant started operating in September 2023, and since then 6.4 million kilowatts of hours of power have been generated. The photovoltaic plant, hopefully, will prevent the emission of 20,000 tons of combustion products into the atmosphere and save up to 10 million cubic meters of natural gas per year. This will not only increase the share of green energy facilities in Uzbekistan, but also improve the energy security of the region.
The station is connected to the substation Chupanata, which supplies the Samarkand region.
According to the presidential decree on measures to accelerate the introduction of renewable energy sources and energy-saving technologies in 2023, nine small photovoltaic power plants with a total capacity of 75 MW are scheduled for construction in the region.
Over the past days, 2.5 GW in five regions and one wind farm in Novoisk region have been put into operation. Due to these commissioned capacities there were no restrictions in Uzbekistan and uninterrupted power supply to the population and production enterprises was ensured.
Uzbekistan has set goals for the production of renewable energy, aiming to increase its share of this area in the energy balance to 25 percent by 2026. This entails the addition of 15 GW of new renewable energy capacity.